Policies on Accommodation for Looked After Children

RE: regarding accommodation provided by your council to looked after children.



Policies on accommodation for Looked After Children

1. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the assessment of suitability and allocation of accommodation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children2 by your council.



2. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the use of unregulated accommodation3 for looked after children.



3. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the use of supported accommodation4 for looked after children.



4. If the policies for assessing and determining accommodation outcomes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and other looked after children differ, please confirm this.



5. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the assessment of suitability and allocation of accommodation for child victims of trafficking who are looked after by your council.

Safeguarding in supported accommodation



6. What training, if any, is provided to staff working in supported accommodation regarding the specific needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children?



7. What training, if any, is provided to staff working in supported accommodation regarding the specific needs of child victims of trafficking?



8. What process or procedures are in place to address complaints or concerns raised by children in supported accommodation?



9. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many safeguarding concerns or incidents have been reported in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in supported accommodation?



10.As of October 2024 (or nearest available data), how many of the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children looked after by your council were child victims of trafficking (as defined at footnote 5)?



Placement stability

11.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a placement by a child looked after by your council.



12.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a placement by an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child looked after by your council.



13.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a supported accommodation placement by a child looked after by your council.



14.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a supported accommodation placement by an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child looked after by your council.



Missing episodes

15. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes were recorded by your council in relation to looked after children?



16. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes were recorded by your council in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children?



17. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes from supported accommodation were recorded by your council in relation to looked after children?



18. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes from supported accommodation were recorded by your council in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children?

RE: regarding accommodation provided by your council to looked after children.

Policies on accommodation for Looked After Children

1. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the assessment of suitability and allocation of accommodation for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children2 by your council.

We do not have anything separate it is within the same policies. They are accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989. Obviously would depend upon needs presenting like any other child in care.

2. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the use of unregulated accommodation for looked after children.

The authority is committed to only using high quality regulated placements for our children and young people.  However, give the national challenges, in the rare event – the following applies crisis-unregistered-placements-guid.docx

3. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the use of supported accommodation for looked after children.

 Please see attached document.

4. If the policies for assessing and determining accommodation outcomes for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and other looked after children differ, please confirm this.  

They don't differ it is the same as other young people

5. Please provide documents, such as policy and protocol documents, and/or guidance notes, relating to policies that govern the assessment of suitability and allocation of accommodation for child victims of trafficking who are looked after by your council

Nothing specific but it is about safety planning and guidance in relation to supported accommodation

Safeguarding in supported accommodation

6. What training, if any, is provided to staff working in supported accommodation regarding the specific needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children

Please see attached document.

7. What training, if any, is provided to staff working in supported accommodation regarding the specific needs of child victims of trafficking? 

8. What process or procedures are in place to address complaints or concerns raised by children in supported accommodation

Please see attached document.

9. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many safeguarding concerns or incidents have been reported in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in supported accommodation?

0

10.As of October 2024 (or nearest available data), how many of the unaccompanied asylum-seeking children looked after by your council were child victims of trafficking (as defined at footnote 5)?

0

Placement stability

11.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a placement by a child looked after by your council

669 days

12.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a placement by an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child looked after by your council

221days

13.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a supported accommodation placement by a child looked after by your council.

160 days

14.As at October 2024 (or nearest available data), please confirm the average length of time spent in a supported accommodation placement by an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child looked after by your council.

172 days

Missing episodes

15. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes were recorded by your council in relation to looked after children?

190 missing instances

16. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes were recorded by your council in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children? -

14

17. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes from supported accommodation were recorded by your council in relation to looked after children? –

47

18. Over the last 12 months (or nearest equivalent period for which data is available), how many missing episodes from supported accommodation were recorded by your council in relation to unaccompanied asylum-seeking children?

14